Saturday, January 6, 2018

1. Donald Maassof The Donald Maass Literary Agency will be the speaker.

Don't miss this rare FREE opportunity to hear Mr. Maass. He is a leading publishing industry insider, and highly sought after speaker and workshop leader. Maass has written numerous books on writing, including Writing the Breakout Novel and Writing 21st Century Fiction: High Impact Techniques For Exceptional Storytelling.

2. Ariella Moon will be signing and selling her books!

Ariella Moon draws upon her experiences as a shaman to create magical Young Adult fiction. Her series include The Two Realms Trilogy, a medieval Scotland and Fairy fantasy romance, Two Realms Novellas, origin stories of characters and magic in the Two Realms, and The Teen Wytche Saga, a series of sweet contemporary paranormal romances. Ariella’s “Covert Hearts” appears inSecond Chances: A Romance Writers of America Collection.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Today's spotlight shines on the wonderfully creative H. L. Burke.

1.When did you first realize you were a Sparkly Writer
Princess?

Middle schoolish. That's when I both started to be known as the
writer in my peer group and when I kind of came into an awareness of “this is a
potential career path I want to pursue.” I've always been a doer rather than a
planner or a doubter. It went pretty quickly from “I like doing this and like
sharing the things I write” to “I'm owning this as my identity.” The “sparkly”
and “princess” parts are partially because I refuse to take myself that
seriously… I'm having fun here. I'm sparkling. I also happen to write a lot.

2.If you had a dragon spirit guide, what color would it
be, and what would be its special gift?

I feel I have to answer Theodore the Dragon here
or he'll get mad at me. He's the smallish dragon I got a few birthdays ago who
is kind of our home's official guardian/unofficial mascot. He's gray blue and
his gift is mischief and looking permanently offended.

I also would not mind having an orange dragon with cat like agility, night
vision, and … basically I want a cat-dragon.

3.You are a prolific author of numerous fantasy books and
short stories, and you helmed two wonderful anthologies, Fantastic Creatures and Hall
of Heroes. Do you ever sleep?

In the morning. I'm not a morning
person. I have a hard time getting out of bed before 9am … if it weren't for
kids, I'd probably write all night then sleep until noon, then drink a bunch of
coffee and write all night again. My daughters tend to be early risers, though.

4.Dark moon or full moon?

I can see advantages to
both. I'm glad we get both. Would be weird to live in a world with one or the
other. I'm more of a stars than a moon girl anyway.

5.Tiara, fascinator, or mail coif?

Being me, my
first thought is, two of those sound way too heavy. Comfort first here.
Fascinator is the least likely to weigh down on my head, and maybe it could
have like a little dragon perched on it. Like a dragon nest fascinator. Plus
then when I'm not wearing it, it would be just the right size to put on my cat.

About H. L. Burke

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke
spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always
accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia
keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to
another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or
television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their
turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur
of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she
has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever
her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

She is the author of a four part fantasy/romance series
entitled "The Dragon and the Scholar," the Award Winning (2016 Realm
Award for Young Adult Fiction) Nyssa Glass Steampunk series, and MG/Fantasy
"Cora and the Nurse Dragon," among others .

As the ugly twin to a perfect sister, Princess Laidra lives her
life in the shadows—until her parents offer her as bait for a giant serpent.

Her escape attempt leaves her shipwrecked on a secluded island
with only one inhabitant: Prince Calen, who lives under a curse. If anyone
looks upon him, he turns into a giant serpent. Speaking to him in the darkness,
Laidra sees past the monster to Calen’s lonely soul, and she determines to free
him from the magic’s hold.

But if Laidra can’t break the curse in time, Calen will become a
mindless creature of scales and fangs forever.

A YA mythology/romance that retells the
myth of Eros and Psyche with adventure, magic, and true love.

Cora's a
young girl with two dreams: to be a dragon jockey when she grows up and to own
a pet dragon now. She constantly buys "egg packs" at the dragon
emporium in hopes that one will hatch into a rare pet-sized dragon, but only
gets short-lived mayflies. However, when an unexpected egg does develop into
something new, Cora may be over her head.

Nyssa Glass
is a reformed cat burglar turned electrician's apprentice, settled into a life
repairing videophones and radio-sets. However, when her past comes calling, she
finds herself framed for murder and forced into one last job. No one has
entered Professor Dalhart's secluded mansion in almost a decade, at least not
that returned to tell the tale. If Nyssa wants to ensure her freedom, she'll
brave the booby-trapped halls and mechanized maids. Nyssa has skills, but this
house has more than its share of secrets. As she steps into the cobwebbed halls
lined with dusty mirrors, she has to wonder. Is the House of Mirrors really
abandoned?

Spell Fire, Book 3, The Teen Wytche Saga

Ainslie Avalon-Bennett works hard to hide her Crazy Girl past. But as long as her best friend’s disappearance remains unsolved, she can’t shake the obsessive-compulsive disorder that once landed her in a mental ward. Thor Grael, a teen dragon shaman, spikes Ainslie’s pulse and calms her OCD. But will she lose him once he discovers her past? Or will Thor’s deadly secret be their undoing?

The Amber Elixir, A Two Realms Novella

A heartbroken young Lady of the Lake must stop dangerous shape-shifters and a spell that could change the balance of power in the Two Realms.

The Beltane Escape, Book 1, The Two Realms Trilogy

Lady Fenella, ever surrounded by guards, knows only responsibility and duty. She believes Merlin and the Lady of the Lake are myths, Gran’s warnings about Fairy are superstition, and Fairy was invented to make children behave... Read More...